Regardless of one's viewpoint, the issue of climate change is, and will likely remain, a primary concern to many legislative bodies and regulatory agencies worldwide. Indeed, various carbon emission restrictions have been, are being, or will be, enacted around the globe (e.g., cap-and-trade). As a result, tools for assessing and managing the carbon footprint of, for example, aircraft is a rapidly emerging need.
In particular, airlines and air crews need a way to measure carbon emissions and environmental impact of their aircraft in different airspaces. Airlines and air crews also need a way to receive feedback regarding their real-time carbon footprint so that this data may be used to plan and optimize their operations, while at the same time balancing cost and flight schedule. Moreover, the monetary value of so-called “carbon credits” and carbon footprint is high. Therefore, reliable evidence of fuel burn and generated carbon will need to be available to regulators to confirm claimed savings. Presently, however, there is no common system or method for implementing these functions. Thus, it may be difficult for the airline industry to participate in any proposed international cap and trade programs.
Hence, there is a need for a system and method for measuring carbon emissions and environmental impact of aircraft in different airspaces and/or for providing feedback, and/or for gathering evidence of fuel burn and generated carbon for use by regulators. The present invention addresses at least this need.